


The (Un)Fortunate Life of Backspear Boys

by Unique_Jenny



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drama, Gen, High School, Humor, More tag to be added, Multi, backspear boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-08-12 23:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20164054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unique_Jenny/pseuds/Unique_Jenny
Summary: A series of one-shots featuring our favourite Lancers, now living together in an apartment as normal high school students.Starring:Cu Chulainn, who works 5 part-time jobs.Fionn mac Cumhail, who fails to get a girlfriend.Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, who receives unwanted attention and a possibly unrequited romance.Karna, who also works part-time jobs and do the houseworks





	1. Up all night

**Author's Note:**

> A night when Cu could not fall asleep. Would he go back to sleep because he has school in the morning or just go all 'fuck it, sleep is for the weak' mode?

_Can't sleep._

_Can't sleep._

_Can't sleep._

These are the words that revolved around the mind of an Irish youth, Cu Chulainn. It was already 1 a.m., he was supposed to have his eyes closed and wandered into his dreamland before the alarm hit him back to reality. Tomorrow was the first day of school, the day he should not skip or else his Math and homeroom teacher, Ms. Scathach will give him another hellish punishment. Starting from 11.30 p.m., he had been staring at the ceiling blankly, trying to get his eyes closed. Cu began to wonder if he had coffee before bed, or was it the anticipation to punch Gilgamesh in the face tomorrow made him too excited, or maybe he was being paranoid to experience another year of being Ms. Scathach's student.

Cu slapped himself out of his thoughts. He should stop making himself less sleepy than usual. He rose himself from the bed and left his bedroom in his naked torso, hoping a drink or two should make him feel better. When he opened the door, the unexpected bright light in the common area almost blinded his eyes. Using his palm as a guidance, he adjusted his eyes to get used to the surrounding.

_Did someone forgot to turn off the lights again?_ Shaking his head, Cu went over to the kitchen to get his glass of water. As he headed back to his room, his finger flicked on the switch, turning off the electricity. 

"Hey!" A voice called out in the dark. "Could you...ummm...turn on the light, please?" 

Cu did as he was told. The light returned, revealing his fellow Irish flatmate, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, who was lying on a couch with a copy of _Little Women_ on his lap. He still had his Big Bang Theory T-shirt on, and he was still wearing thick frame glasses despite he had a perfect eyesight. How this guy can be still good looking even he dressed up like a total geek?

"Can't sleep?" Diarmuid asked.

"Yeah," Cu replied. "You?"

Diarmuid showed him the book. "This. Mr. Andersen is going to give us a quiz tomorrow."

Cu had his jaw dropped. "Seriously? The first day of school?"

"Yeah. Actually I'm refreshing my memories. I already did that several years ago."

"You can Google shit, you know. Wikipedia has answers."

"Umm...Don't forget Mr. Andersen and his issues with online resources."

Cu facepalmed himself. "Bloody fuck, I forgot." He remembered Mr. Hans Andersen, the notorious Literature teacher who was as scary as Ms. Scathach. One time he yelled at a student in front of the class for using Wikipedia and Shmoop as his reference. For a teacher with small stature, he had the voice of thunder and the capability to diss like Eminem.

"That's why I'm re-reading this." Diarmuid went back to his reading. Couple of seconds later, he closed the novel and left it on the nearby plastic coffee table. Then he stretched his body before sitting in a straight posture. 

"You know what, I'm tired of reading. And the caffeine made me wide awake."

So it was the Americano they drank in the cafe earlier. The owner of the cafe, David decided to have a back-to-school promotion, which they can purchase two same drinks with the price of a single drink. Cu and Diarmuid had totally forgotten about asking for decaf but ordering two double shot Iced Americanos. None of his other flatmates reminded them about it. What a great time to choose to be up all night.

"Guess this is the karma we get for being a couple of dumbasses. No more Americanos after 6 p.m."

"Definitely, especially Sunday nights." 

Cu joined Diarmuid on the old couch, with some part of the leather had worn off. It had been around the apartment before they moved in, and none of them had the money to replace it. Who would buy a furniture that will be used just for a few years?

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Diarmuid suggested. "John Wick? The Grand Budapest Hotel?"

"Nah," Cu replied. "Not in the mood."

"How about TV shows? Game of Thrones, Modern Family. You pick."

"I've been watching the whole season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. during Summer, the one you recommend to me."

"How about you suggest what we can do to survive the night?"

Cu was thinking about ordering a pizza as a late night snack, but where could he find a pizza delivery that was still operating at late night? He was brainstorming about the crazy things he would like to do at night, like playing beer pong, going to the bar for a one night stand or running around the complex in their birthday suit. Yup, the ideas that the good boy Diarmuid would turn down in an instant. But for real, he had no idea what they can do in common. Cu had a wilder opinion in recreation, while Diarmuid prefer to perform tamer activities. 

"Anything?" Diarmuid called out.

"Let's go for prostitution." 

Diarmuid looked at Cu in total shock and confusion, as if Cu had confessed that he committed a murder. His handsome face blushed in bright red, which made the blue-haired Irish burst into laughter at the sight.

"Hahahaha! I'm joking! You should look at your face when I said that!" 

Diarmuid let out a breath in relieve, but the redness on his face had spread to his ears."I was genuinely scared! Aengus will perish me into pieces if I slept with a stranger!"

"Such a virgin."

The younger man did not reply. Cu began to stop laughing by wheezing the air out of his lungs. Then, he took a sip on the water to moisturise his dry throat. He should recorded Diarmuid's facial expression and showed it to Fionn. 

"I actually have an idea what we can do for the night," Cu proposed.

"No prostitutes, or hook-ups."

"It's midnight, and we are two single dudes. You even have your laptop on the table," Cu pointed at the white MacBook on the coffee table next to _Little Women_. 

"Are you sure?" Diarmuid asked nervously. "Would we wake the other two?"

"It's all right. All we have to do is to keep our voices low. After that, we'll go back to our own room and pretend nothing have happened." 

Diarmuid stared at Cu for a while, then he let out a smile. Cu smiled back at him.

"I have never done this before with a friend in the middle of the night. It's not a harm to have such fun, right?"

"Right." 

Without wasting any second, they immediately activated the laptop. Once the laptop had settled to the home screen, they clicked on the Browser and went to the infamous website with excitement and joy.

This was going to be one of the best night of their lives.

***

_Can't sleep._

_Can't sleep._

_Can't sleep._

Fionn Mac Cumhail looked over his phone, which the lock screen exhibited a selfie of him and the members of the Fianna, and the time showed the digits 0215. About 10 minutes ago, he was woken by the strange noises outside of his room. Why would anyone still awake at this time, and especially on a school night? With curiosity, he jumped out of the bed and tiptoed to the door to see what was going on. 

Peeking through the wooden door, he saw the in the bright common room there were two young men sitting on the couch. He could only have the backside view, but he was sure that one of them had no shirt on while the other still wearing some clothing. They had their heads thrown to the back and their mouths were covered by their own hands, as they were trying their best not to make a sound. Fionn also noticed some colorful flash flickering in the background, followed by some weird screeching noises. 

The only videos that guys of his age would watch were from porn websites. He always heard his friends back in Ireland about them venturing the sites when their parents had fallen asleep. Usually Fionn would do it when he was alone in his dark room with his earbuds on, this was definitely the first time he witnessed watching explicit videos with a companion. A part of Fionn formed a sense of disgust, while the other part had this unfamiliar sense of excitement. 

_How could these two are having fun all by themselves_, Fionn thought with a hint of jealousy, _Without even bother to invite me!_

Fionn stepped into the light and approached his flatmates from behind. The creaking sound of the door had alerted the boys, making them turning their heads back to face the newcomer. Fionn flashed them a toothy smile, without any warmth in it. 

"What are you guys watching?"

"It's not what you think it is, Fionn" Diarmuid replied. 

"It does not seem like 'nothing' to me."

"Bruh, we're just watching some videos," Cu defended. "And it got funny, we can't even bear ourselves."

Fionn did not buy it; he went forth to examine the laptop screen. He already made some mental preparation to see some woman, or women's, naked body, performing acrobatics act in a sexual manner. In fact, he was wrong. There were three people singing on stage, in their piercing voices that should belong to cats. The screen would switch back and forth among the puzzled judges and the 'performers'. Fionn recognized the scene, he had watched this when he was a kid.

"You are watching funny X-Factor auditions?!" Fionn cried out. 

"That's what we were about to tell you," Cu explained. "We were doing a try-not-to-laugh-out-loud challenge."

"I thought you guys are watching porn."

Cu and Diarmuid stared at Fionn blankly with their mouths wide open, there were mixed emotions presented on their faces. After a while, they erupted in unison.

"WHAT?! NO!" 

"That's plain disgusting," Diarmuid commented.

"Who would fap at porn with another person?" Cu added.

"I don't want to see anyone release their personal desires out in public."

"Do I look like someone who would watch adult videos in the common area?"

"Look, I'm sorry!" Fionn exclaimed. "The muffled noises soft of woke me up and I thought someone else was moaning. I did not know you were watching YouTube videos."

"We are also sorry for waking you up," Diarmuid replied. "We did try to keep our voices as low as possible, I think we got quite carried away."

Fionn waved his hand, "Nah, it's fine. I don't think I can sleep back."

"Wanna join?" Cu requested with his hand patting on the vacant area between him and the other Irish guy. 

"Why not?" With excitement, Fionn leaped himself into the empty seat.

As the previous video had finished playing, they let the blonde guy chose a new video from the suggestions list. They tried not to laugh loudly at Simon Cowell's face on a terrible duo audition, until Fionn could not help himself but to let all his emotion out. 

"SIMON COWELL'S FACE IS WORTH 100K!!! HAHAHAHA I CAN'T BREATHE."

Soon, the other two joined in.

"YOU'RE RIGHT! HAHAHAHAHA!" Cu held his stomach tightly. "IS THAT A LEGIT SONG? CHIRPY CHIRPY CHEEP CHEEP! HAHAHAHA"

"Oh gods-" Diarmuid also burst into giggles, with his palm covering his face. "They ruined a good song. I relate so much to Cheryl's expression right there." 

They gave the least care about their own noise, or the fact they had school in the morning. The three of them were having a good time laughing at the worst and funniest auditions from X Factor, Britain Got Talent and American Idol. They either laughed at the funniest acts, mocking on the weird contestants, or cringing over people ruining the classics. From reality talent shows, they moved to award shows' performances, then to Dr Phil videos.

"If I have a 1000 dollars allowance per month I will totally stop working those 5 part time jobs anyone," Cu commented.

Diarmuid sighed. "I feel bad for the mum, she can't even drive her own car."

"The mum actually dug her own grave," Fionn expressed. "That's what happened when you spoil your own kid."

Somehow, watching Dr Phil videos led them to view PewDiePie content. Fionn really did not understand the YouTube algorithm. They flipped through from his meme review videos to his music videos. Cu went all out to sing _Bitch Lagsana, _while the other two cheered with passion in the background. They even played _Congratulations_ in loop, with each of them assigned to a role. 

It was a never ending pleasure for these three Irish dudes.

***

_Wake up._

_Wake up._

_Wake up._

The sunlight just barely touched the sky, Karna had already got out of his bed with his clothes on and made his bed. As the early riser among the four, he took the responsibility to prepare breakfast. Another reason was that Karna was the only guy who would cook a whole breakfast, not those typical milk and cereal, or jam and bread. He remembered there was leftover rice in the fridge, he could use it to make fried rice. His stomach grumbled even louder at the thought of food.

Karna left his room and went to the kitchen to start preparing his ingredient. As he passed by the couch, he saw three unconscious bodies lying around the couch in odd angles. There was a laptop on the coffee table, Celine Dion's _My Heart Will Go On _was played on the screen. Karna did not recall to hear any voices in his sleep, he was known to be a deep sleeper._ Did they pull an all-nighter?_ Karna wanted to wake them up, but he decided to leave them be until he had done making breakfast, with high hopes that the food would wake the guys up. 

In the end, the three Irish guys woke up about 45 minutes before their first class started. 


	2. Start of something new

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of being a student of Chaldea Academy, Karna was about to meet different people from different countries and culture. One particular student caught his attention which he had never done before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please play some Bollywood songs when reading this.

Karna had fallen in love with his new school. When he stepped into the gates of Chaldea Academy, it was a Wonderland for him. He could feel a huge difference between his old school back in his hometown and this prestigious campus with a wide range of facilities that he had never encountered before. Karna considered himself to be lucky to get this privilege of being enrolled in this school, with the scholarship covering 30% of his school fees. Also, he was extremely grateful for his Pa and Ma, who supported him throughout during his application for the scholarship and studying for the entrance exam.

He went to the campus too early, there were janitors, staffs, students who arrived for morning practice, and him, a newcomer who was going to attend the orientation at 9. Why would he arrive 30 minutes earlier, you asked? It was a habit for him to wake up early before the sun did, and his flat mates were still asleep. They did offer him to join them to carpool with other friends of them, but Karna refused. For he wanted to get familiarized with the new environment, and he would feel quite awkward to ride on some stranger’s vehicle. It was hard for him to get socialize with new people anyway.

After asking the clerk about the whereabouts of his orientation, he followed her instructions and went to the mini theatre on the 2nd floor of the main building. The venue was right beside the stairs, which there were three students were already there to set up the venue. Karna knocked on the door and asked:

“Excuse me, I’m here for the orientation.”

A girl with blonde hair and mesmerizing purple eyes looked up from the computer and approached him with a warm smile.

“_Bonjour_, welcome to Chaldea Academy,” she spoke in a graceful yet passionate manner. “My name is Jeanne; I am the President of the Student Council and one of the guides for this 2-hour session. Are you a freshman, or a transfer?”

“Transfer.”

“I see. Can you tell me your name and which year you’re in?”

“My name is Karna, and I am a Sophomore student.”

“Hold on.” Jeanne went over to a white-haired boy who was arranging a pile of zipper file, which she exchanged a few words with him and picked up a green file. Then, she handed it to Karna. There was his name written on top of the file, which it contained a booklet, some stationery, his ID card and a card shaped in a cross.

“Consider this as a gift from the Student Council, inside this is a very helpful guide to go through the academy. Oh, don’t forget to check out the local Youth Catholic Association, if you are a devoted child of Lord.”

“Thank you.” Karna replied with a light smile.

“Well, maybe you can sit over there, right beside the freshman,” Jeanne pointed at the seats area. There was already a dark-hair student in white blouse, probably a freshman or transfer, had a book that seemed to be a biography of Nelson Mandela that was large enough to cover his face. “It won’t hurt to make a friend.”

As told, Karna headed to the front row. His footsteps caused the student peeked at Karna over the top of the book. His facial feature gave him a slight feeling of homesick, a sense of familiarity as if he was somehow close to Karna. The white-haired boy had a strong urge to ask for this person’s name, or start a conversation. Then, Karna noticed something that seemed to be out of place.

“Your shoelace, it’s loose.”

The dark-haired boy gave the pale-skinned boy an eye-roll before reverted back to his book. He was definitely not interested in being friends with Karna. Did he disturb the person, or was he being rude? Karna had no idea, he did what his Pa told him about the first step of building a friendship, which was starting a conversation. Trying to not disturb anymore, Karna left and sat a few rows behind.

About 2 minutes later, Jeanne who had finished checking the technological devices, greeted the dark-haired boy before sitting beside Karna.

“It seems like you have a problem talking to Arjuna, huh?”

_Arjuna, _Karna thought. _That’s his name._

“Don’t take this too personally. He distances himself from people quite often,” Jeanne said with a light smile.

Karna looked at her with slight curiosity, he had an urge to know if Jeanne was close to Arjuna. Somehow, the president noticed his expression and gave out a light chuckle.

“We did work together in a few occasions; he was the president of the Junior High Student Council back then,” Jeanne explained. “To be frank, he can be quite…unfriendly, that’s the best word I could describe him. But he’s still a good person to work with.”

“I see.”

“Speaking of which, you should join the Student Council. We were looking for new committees. Are you interested in being an Event Manager, PR, Grade Representati-” 

“Jeanne, stop chit-chatting!” A purple hair girl called out. “Some of the freshmen are here!”

“Coming, Martha!” Jeanne yelled back. “It’s a pleasure to have a chat with you.”

Jeanne later moved on to welcome more students as they gradually entered the room and filled in the empty seats. Karna found himself sitting behind two girls, one had a pink hair and wore a frilly dress and the other was a blonde with a French braid and her outfit was an outrageous red silk dress.

When the clock struck 9, the sound of the bell from the clock tower began to chime. A signal to the Student Council President to take her mic and begin to host this year’s orientation.

“Good morning everybody. As you have known, I am Jeanne, the head of the Student Council. This is Shiro Amakusa, the Vice-President and Martha the Treasurer. Unfortunately, our Secretary could not join us for today but you will meet him in future events. Anyways, we are here to represent the entire school board to give you the warmest welcome to the High School division of Chaldea Academy.”

Everybody applauded unrhythmically, until Jeanne stopped them with her palm.

“As previously informed, this session will take around 2 hours: a 1.5 hour talk and 30 minutes of campus tour. Without further ado, please take out the booklet from the file,” the girl turned her head around to face the Treasurer, who was in charge of the computer. “Martha, could you open the PPT for Campus History?”

With a few clicks, the screen showed a delicately designed PowerPoint Slideshow about a brief history of Chaldea Academy as Jeanne presented in details. Karna tried to pay attention but he decided to close his eyes and relaxed, since he had studied about this campus before he signed up. The people around him were either playing with their phones underneath or dozing off, only the people in the first two rows were busying jotting down notes. Karna could not help but to stare at Arjuna, who was listening intensely by sitting straight without tilting his head to the side.

Then, Karna felt a continuous sting-like poke on his right arm. It was the pink haired girl who kept staring at him with her big blue eyes. Her extremely long neon pink fingernail was the culprit that caused a small beige mark on his pale skin.

“Little rat, what’s your name?” She whispered. Karna told her his name, in a similar tone. She smiled gleefully, showing off her little fangs.

“I’m Elizabeth. My friends call me Liz, or Lizzie. You must be new here, never seen you around before.”

“I am a transfer student.”

“Oh how sweet. Which grade you’re in? If you are a freshman, we can go to classes together.”

“Sophomore.”

“Awww…that sucks. I kinda hope we could hang out sometimes.” 

“Liz, stop hitting on people before I do!” The girl from Karna’s left side interrupted. “I am fabulous Nero Claudius by the way.”

Liz gasped for a moment, then she replied: “Hey! I’m not flirting! Can’t I make friends with new people? FYI, your last sentence sounds like if you want his number.”

‘Umu, I may be an expert in flirting, but he’s not my type.”

“What’s your type of girl, Little Rat?” Liz asked. “Cute? Sexy? Thicc?”

“I don’t like seeing girls in a romantic way.”

“Wait, you’re-”

“No.” The girls looked at him with big ‘O’s on their face.

_This is awkward… _Karna had not idea why people, especially girls, are interested in his love life. He did not know if he’s ready to get a date, or more accurately, he did not even consider much about his sexuality or getting a date.

“Well Little Rat, since you are not interested in getting a girl,” Liz said. “We can help you to know who’s who. We’re quite the…what’s the word-“

“Veterans?” Karna suggested.

“Yes! That’s the word! We know pretty much about most people here.”

“I think I can settle this myself, but thank you for the offer.”

“Anyway, let’s start with the people of the Student Council,” Nero declared softly. “Jeanne is overall a nice person, but she’s a total virgin; Amakusa is quite shady sometimes but he’s good; Martha can be nice but she can slap a Bible in your face.”

“She gave him a warning about my nails,” Liz caressed her nails in a gentle manner, trying not to snap any of them. “What’s wrong with having pretty nails? I can’t be an idol if I have plain nails.”

“A real diva does not need her long nails to show her talent.”

“Don’t forget Arjuna.” Liz leaned in and whispered into Karna’s ear. “That guy is a real pain.”

Nero placed her hand on the side of her head. “_Umu_, I still have headaches about last year’s incident.”

“I hope he’s not in the Student Council this year.”

“What happened?” Karna asked.

Liz looked around the area, then she began to fidgeting and mumbled: “Well, we would not like to scare you off or bad-mouthing people. It was quite a drama. We want to keep this away from newcomers but I can spill a little bit of the tea, if you want to. Actually-”

“Ahem!” The three of them found Martha glaring at them, they had no idea when did she appear.

“Could you stay low for a while? There are people who can’t focus because of you three. Bathory, please trim your fingernails ASAP. That’s my final warning.”

Martha patrolled around the audience seats before joining the stage for her session. Liz fished out her iPhone from her bag and typed for a while before showing it to Karna.

I WILL TELL YOU NEXT TIME. GIVE ME YOUR PHONE NUMBER.

Karna did what she wanted. 

***

_You’ve been invited to join the Student Council? That’s sick!_

_Dude, I’ve been in this academy for fucking three years and no Student Council President ever asked me to join. Are you sure if they are trolling ya?_

_Jeanne doesn’t look like someone who would troll. Maybe you can consider other clubs as well. You don’t have to accept immediately. _

After having a slice of egg sandwich as his lunch, Karna visited the Clubs and Society Board to look at the colorful flyers, which each club used as a promotion to the old and new students. His roommate gave him advices on making surveys on each club before settling down for the right one. Truthfully, Karna did not know if he had the time to commit to club activities. He had already applied for three jobs, and was thinking about to take another one. He suddenly remembered the words his Pa told him at the airport.

_Karna, my son, listen to this. We are very happy for you, and we will miss you dearly. We might be poor, and you are worrying about your daily expenses. Yes, money is important, but your Ma and I want you to enjoy school life as much as possible. Join the school events and clubs as much as you can, and make some friends who treat you well. Promise me, Karna. You have helped a lot in the family. We want to see our boy to be happy and enjoy the things he likes. _

_I…I promise, Pa. _

Maybe he could make some time for a minor club. Ignoring the major clubs and societies with the most participation rate, he leaned forward to take a closer look. Bike Club, Reading Circle, Doujin Circle, Fandom Society, Gaming Society, Mahatma Society…

“Hey!” A voiced called out from behind. Karna’s blue eyes met with Arjuna’s dark ones, which the white-haired boy immediately recognized. When he was a child, he was interested in watching cats chasing mice near the sewer. When two male cats were hunting for the same mouse, they would give each other a fiery look, hoping it would intimidate the opponent so they could get its prey. That was the look Arjuna was emitting, and Karna was not sure if he was doing the same thing. If a stare would kill, the both of them might get perished together at the same time. 

“You’ve been watching me during orientation, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” Karna straightforwardly answered him.

“Do you know that it’s extremely rude, and creepy?”

“It’s my fault, I did not realize that.”

“Also, you are blocking my way.”

Karna stepped aside so Arjuna can stand in front of the board. Removing his ballpoint pen from his blouse pocket, he wrote his name and positions on the Student Council recruitment flyer.

_ Arjuna: Event Manager and Grade Representative, Freshman _

“See you around, Karna.” Arjuna left after he spat his last words to the pale-skinned boy. Karna did not care how the person knew his name; he just stood there, looking at the lonely figure of the fellow Indian youth.

Karna could not comprehend why everyone either dislikes or being scared of Arjuna. He may have an aura of intimidation, but Karna had a feeling that he was more than that. He also yearned to know why Arjuna’s resemblance to someone he was supposed to know.

Maybe there was one way to find out the truth.

Taking a pen from his pocket, he wrote on the same flyer, right underneath Arjuna’s name.

_ Karna: Grade Representative, Sophomore _

Feeling satisfied, Karna walked away with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter! Karna's story has a more dramatic element and lesser humor than the other member of Backspear Boys. 
> 
> I'm trying to take a grasp on some of the character's personality, and I hope I can master them in writing future chapters.


	3. Cafeteria fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you want to cause trouble on the first day of school? Some people do but some people don't.

Diarmuid did not ask for his the first day of school to be a complete disaster.

Waking up about 45 minutes away from his first class was a nightmare. He had not changed his clothes since last evening or packed his bag. In a hurry, he took a quick shower and almost slipped on the wet tiles. For a hectic morning, Diarmuid was grateful to have his new flatmate Karna who prepared breakfast for them. He and his other Irish guys gobbled the fried rice and left the apartment to get on Kojiro’s van, which the driver had waited for them for a whole 15 minutes. No matter how many times the three of them apologized, it did not change the fact that they were late for class.

Diarmuid was 10 minutes late for his Chemistry class, which the teacher, Mr. von Hohenheim gave him a warning. However, he had missed his chance to choose his lab partner, which he had to pair up with a Russian girl instead of his best friend, Artoria. Then, the Irish guy realized he had forgotten to switch off his laptop which was still on the coffee table, playing YouTube videos in random.

Later on, the quiz during Literature class was terrible. All he could remember was writing down the answers based on his memory and falling asleep at the same time. Why Mr. Andersen had to come out with such complicated questions? Diarmuid remembered he took about 10 minutes to analyze and comprehend the first question: _What is the significance of the title _Little Women_?_ The short paragraph he wrote was utter rubbish. He had an 80% confidence that he would fail and being scolded by the short teacher.

He low-key hoped the rest of the day would go well.

"Hey, are you even listening?" 

Diarmuid was brought back to reality by Fionn's calling. 

"I was thinking about the quiz earlier, actually."

Fionn did not seem to be extremely convinced, but gave him a casual reply: "Okay." 

They were at their usual table by the corner of the cafeteria, with the same old people: Cu, Kojiro, Musashi, Achilles, Fionn and himself. Karna came by earlier, for a short while; he had something else to do. He and his friends may be sitting in the same group, but everyone was having different conversations. For example, Musashi and Kojiro's dialogue on girls. 

Musashi groaned, "I shouldn't have come for the first day. Okkie is right. First day is not worth it." 

"Why don't you skip the rest of the day and accompany your girlfriend instead?" Her best friend, Kojiro suggested. 

"It's not like I don't want to. Remember I got caught by Martha for skipping class?" 

"Yeah, that sucks. You should buy her some cake after school. I'll drive." 

"Thanks bud. You better help me choose."

Or Achilles and Cu's conversation on sports. 

Achilles jammed his spork into Cu's arm, making the latter yelped in pain. 

"What the fuck?"

"Oi, are you returning to the track team?" Achilles asked, who was the captain of the team.

"Dunno. Have too many jobs. Still thinking, I guess."

"Drop by if you want to come back. We’re already seniors. Give your last shot in it."

“I see.”

Or Fionn's plans on covers they should do for the upcoming Friday performance. 

"I was thinking if we can do Queen or the Beatles. Oh wait, we did a Queen cover before we left for our holiday. How about Where Is the Love by Black Eye Peas? Or we can do Fall Out Boys, it's been a while since we've done that."

"Whatever you want Fionn," a typical Diarmuid response to every request made by Fionn. He knew Fionn had decided the songs before he could make any of his opinion. There was a 50% chance Fionn would settle down on a Fall Out Boy cover.

As much there was diverse of conversation within the group, there were a few things they could agree as a team. 

"Bloody shit that shirt was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen." Cu cried out of the blue, making them extremely confused. 

"Turn around." Cu pointed. As they looked to the main entrance of the cafeteria, Diarmuid finally understood why. There would be only one person in this academy would wear expensive designer clothing, the one and only Gilgamesh. This time he had a leopard print dress shirt on with golden sneakers that worth 24 karat. There was a huge golden chain hung around his neck, as if the guy’s golden hair was not bright enough to blind people’s eyes. This is not the most ridiculous outfit that Gilgamesh ever had, but it was definitely one of the most horrendous outfits Diarmuid had ever seen.

Every time Gilgamesh was around, there would be random Snoop Dogg songs played in Diarmuid's mind. The way he walked made him looked like he owned this place and 'gangsta' would be the term best associated with him. Gilgamesh was not very popular among the students in the academy, as he was famous for his pride and prejudice. He would pick fights with people if someone rubs him the wrong way, regardless if its intentional or unintentional.

"Did he kill a leopard to get that shirt?" Fionn whispered.

"No idea, but I knew that the outfit belongs to a trash can." Cu commented.

“Guys, stop looking,” Kojiro urged. “He’s coming.”

Everyone pretended they did not see anything and focused on their food instead. Diarmuid silently prayed that Gilgamesh would not come to their table. He did not want any sort trouble on his first day of school, especially involving with this man. Yet, reality could be quite disappointing.

“Well mongrels,” Gilgamesh had already positioned himself between Fionn and Achilles, looking at them with his head high up as they were scums. “Who allows you to look at me?”

“Can’t help,” Cu shrugged. “Your outfit was too ugly that I could not even look away.”

The golden boy did not look happy about the remark, but he still kept his smirk plastered on his face.

“It has been more than three months, yet the dog’s fangs are still sharp as ever.”

“And your fashion sense was still terrible as ever.”

“For a mere mongrel could not afford his rent has the guts to criticize my clothing. How absurd.”

Diarmuid shot his roommate a glance so he could refrain from commenting any further. Unfortunately, the blue-hair Irish did not get the message but continued to roast on the richer guy.

“I don’t even want to care about your ugly clothes. Now fuck off and let us eat in peace.”

Gilgamesh’s handsome face instantly turned into scowl, he grabbed Cu’s by the collar and pulled him out from his seat. Achilles, who happened to sit beside the Irish, accidentally had his chocolate drink spilled on the table.

“SON OF A BITCH, WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM!” Cu yelled at him. Both of them were staring in each other’s eyes in anger and annoyance. The rest quickly stood up, either to slowly get away from the scene like Fionn, or Achilles, Kojiro and Diarmuid himself, who were trying to separate the two boys. At this moment, everyone in the cafeteria began to focus on the drama that was about to happen at their table.

“Woah, woah, woah! Calm the heck down!” the Greek cried. “Fighting on first day of school was totally a great idea. Just pretend Cu didn’t say that and let him go.”

“Let him go? Are you expecting me to let go of a mongrel who was being vulgar to me?”

“Like you did not know that Cu can be a bit rude sometimes,” Kojiro added.

“Let me teach you some respect you filthy dog,” Gilgamesh gritted his teeth and growled at Cu. “This is what happened when you do not know your place.”

Apparently, the Irish ignored the threats and rolled his eyes.

“Lemme see if ya gonna punch me.”

Diarmuid wished that Gilgamesh’s green-haired best friend would be around, so the guy would not pester them any further. Enkidu was one of the kindest people Diarmuid had ever known, and he was amazed at Enkidu, who had somehow mastered the ability to control the golden lion. He wondered where the person had gone right now, the time when Gilgamesh was about to lose his temper. Diarmuid felt that he had to do something before there was blood and bruises.

“Cu, shh-“

Too late, Gilgamesh had his fist collided with the other’s cheek, leaving a reddish-purple bruise. There were some gasps among the crowd as Cu fell on the ground from the impact. Almost everyone had their eyes widen at the violent incident. 

“Shit,” Fionn muttered loud enough for Diarmuid to hear. There were still chances that Cu would walk away and avoid the fight, since he had received warnings from his homeroom teacher before the semester even started.

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” A sharp girlish voice came out from nowhere, which caused more and more students to join in the chant, encouraging the two to further their feud. Even Musashi joined in with a huge grin on her face. This became a stimulus for Cu to return the favor by striking at the golden dude’s left eye.

_Oh no, _Diarmuid sighed in his mind. _There was no way they are going back._

As the two boys curled together to have a dog fight, there were students cheering for the ex-ruffian while some were rooting for the richest student of Chaldea Academy. There were a few people leaned forward with their phones to record the entire drama and livestream it on social media. It was hard for them to cut in between the two of them, as the fight had become more and more vigorous.

'Bpppppppt!' A sharp noise sliced through the battle cries, causing everyone to become mute within half a second. The clear clanking sound of high heels echoed around the cafeteria as a woman walked among the crowd of students. It was none other than Ms. Scathach, the most fearsome Mathematics teacher in Chaldea Academy. Somebody must have reported to her about the conflict.

Her eyes settled on the two students who had stopped fighting and now exhausted and injured. Scathach shook her head in disappointment and spoke in her unusual calm deep voice with a hint of Scottish accent. 

"Gilgamesh, Setanta. My office. Now." 

The two students eventually got up from the ground and followed the teacher’s instructions by leaving the cafeteria. Next, she scanned around the rest of the students and cried out loud:

"If you don't want to stay back after class, the rest of you better go back to wherever you are from on the count of three-" 

Everyone began to scatter and return to their original seats, then resumed eating and chatting like nothing had happened before. Satisfied, the woman left the scene. Diarmuid and his friends began to clean up the mess on their table, which was ruined by the catastrophe. In order to survive the rest of the afternoon, Diarmuid ate the sliced apples from a small bag which happened to be fine.

“Whew! That was fun! Best thing that happened on the first day of school!” Musashi exclaimed. “Imma go grab another bowl of udon, you guys want anything?”

The boys refused her offer, they probably did not have the mood to eat. She ended up leaving while holding a tray of her emptied bowl.

By this time Diarmuid was exhausted from all the incidents that happened within a day. This was totally a bad start for his new school term.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Managed to finish a third chapter, hurrah! Oh yeah, Tuesday is the first day of my Second Year of Uni so updates might be a bit slower than before.


	4. Dark Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you react when you meet your ex-girlfriend that could potentially bring out the dark side of you?

The moment Cu reached his workplace, he straightaway went to the staff room without greeting the manager or his other colleague. His fellow Irish flat mates had already changed into their uniforms, looking at him like he just came out from the ditch.

“Can someone hand me a towel?” Cu asked. Fionn threw a nearby towel to him, which he used it to wipe off his sweat.

“Wait, I thought you want to use it to wipe the mess outside,” Fionn pointed out. Cu immediately ditched the rug to the ground, ruffling his head to remove any sign of dirt. The long-hair blonde then handed him a fresh new towel as a replacement.

“Just ran here after that old lady decided to let us go. What a shitty day!” Cu exclaimed while he took off his shirt and wiped the sweat off his torso.

“Totally,” Diarmuid said. “But I would prefer to describe it in a less vulgar way.”

“How’s your session with Scathach?” Fionn asked, with a hint of curiosity and sneer. He was tying his hair high up in a ponytail with an elastic band, which it snapped and hurt his finger.

Cu sighed. “Don’t remind me. You should experience running the track for five times-”

“I thought you like running?” Diarmuid asked, while combing his hair.

“With your legs tied together with your worst enemy? Hell nah!”

This caught the other two’s full attention.

“Woah! Ms. Scathach made you run with Gilgamesh?”

“Did he like purposely trip you or something?”

“He tried. Funny thing was, I dragged him along when I was falling to the ground. I still can remember his stupid ass face when he face-planted. Hahahaha.”

Brushing off the creases of his uniform, Cu then shoved all his clothes and bags into his locker. He soon realized there was someone missing from the group.

“Where’s Karna?”

Fionn raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you see him out there? He was at the counter, training with Cat.”

“I was rushing. Probably forgot to say hi to the-” Cu stopped himself. “Fuck, I still haven’t punched my card!”

The Irish ran out of the staff room to mark his attendance. In the process, he was lectured by his colleague, Emiya, for being late. He was so done with getting all of these warnings within one day.

Being a waiter, he set up the tables with Diarmuid and one of Cat’s sister, Tamamo. There were a few times he went over to give Karna, who was the new cashier and bartender a few pointers despite Fionn would be with him for the rest of the night (also he could not trust the blondie to be a good guidance to the newbie).

The diner, Cat Food, began to welcome its first batch of customers at six-thirty sharp. A line of hungry peeps was already formed outside, waiting for Cat to switch the ‘Close’ sign to ‘Open’. The first hour was extremely busy for them, with customers who had high expectations on Cat’s signature cheeseburgers or Emiya’s Eastern delights. Having these two celebrity chefs in town made this place a popular dinner spot for the locals.

“Welcome!” Cu cried when he heard the door opened. He saw a pair of familiar faces entering the premise. One of them was the famously pretty Artoria Pendragon, a sophomore in his Academy. Despite her short stature, she had an aura of charisma revolved around her, resulting in many followers yearning to be her side. She came along with her brother, Arthur Pendragon, who was equally gorgeous and charismatic, and also a natural lady killer. He may be two years older than her, but they were often mistaken as twins, due to their similar features.

“Hey D, look!” Cu nudged his friend’s back. “It’s Artoria.”

“Oh really?” Diarmuid looked around. When he spotted the blonde girl, he gave her a small wave and smile. The siblings sat at a table near the counter, which was close to where they are.

“You should entertain your crush,” Cu whispered.

“She’s not, my crush.” The dark-haired guy muttered, but his ears were already red with blood.

“Why the hell you lyin’, why you always lyin’” Fionn sang, making Diarmuid even redder than before. When it comes to love, this fella was being extremely shy and awkward. He would not dare to take a step forward without any force. The blue-haired Irish decided to push his younger friend to face the lady of his dreams.

“Here’s your waiter for tonight. Feel free to do whatever you like.” Before Diarmuid could protest, Cu tip-toed away to the counter, pretending to be busy. At the same time, he and Fionn began to eavesdrop on their conversation, hoping their flat mate would not make a mistake.

Diarmuid spoke, “Let me guess. Gawain is cooking today.”

“We just want to lay off from mashed potatoes for a while,” Arthur said. “I don’t’ think we can be full from his vegetarian meal.”

“That make sense,” The Irish nodded his head with agreement. “What would you like to have?”

“Can I have an omelet rice? With a cup of hot chocolate, please?” Arthur spoke in an elegant manner, like a true British gentleman. Rumors had it that he was once educated in a prestigious school in the UK.

“Fantastic,” the waiter jotted down the order on his little notepad. “Anything else, Artoria?”

“I would like to have Cat’s Special Beef Burger, with extra cheese. And an extra-large strawberry smoothie.”

“Do you want dessert after meal? Today’s special is the banana spilt.”

The British girl’s eyes lit up at the mention of the dessert. It was not a secret that Artoria had a very huge appetite within that petite body of hers. She was known to be Musashi’s competition, for the Japanese girl could not defeat her in every Chaldea’s annual eating competition.

“I would love to have those. Is it alright to give me the biggest scoop you have?”

“With whipped cream on top?”

“With whipped cream on top.” Artoria replied with a toothy smile full of anticipation. Diarmuid returned to pass the order to Fionn, there was a pleasing smile on his face.

“Jeez, you really knew what she likes.” Fionn commented with his eyes rolled.

“She told me the split is her favorite dessert from this place.”

“And you can’t even remember my coffee order from the Shepherd’s Coffee.”

“Well you change your coffee order every month.” Cu pointed out.

“My favorite was Caramel Latte!”

“I thought you decided to stay away from that?”

“Well, my doctor said I might get diabetes. So I try decreasing my sugar level.”

“You have diabetes?!” Diarmuid exclaimed.

“I said ‘might’. But it does not change the fact I like Caramel Latte.”

“Ah, I’m sorry to interrupt you boys.” Tamamo came in between Cu and Diarmuid, and passed her order slip to Fionn. “You guys should go back to work. As seniors, aren’t you supposed to be good examples for the newbie?”

They turned their heads to see Karna, who was keeping himself busying from blending fruits in the juice mixer. He had adapted to his new working environment and handling multiple drink orders like a total boss. How this dude even made all those drinks even though he just learnt it within an hour?

They should go back to their stations and work.

Food and drinks continuously came up from the kitchen, which they were delivered to the customers according to their orders. Waitering was supposed to be a fast and accurate job, which Cu had mastered the skills from his 6 months of experience. Maybe he should develop in the service industry after he graduate high school.

“Welcome to-” Cu stopped himself when he saw the face of a new customer who just entered the premise. His worst nightmare. He was relieved to see her leaving for some university in Ireland so he could be free from her shadow. He was not mentally prepared to see her standing in front of him, with her triumph smile. How does she even know he was working here?

“Hi, Cu-cu. Miss me?” She called out in her bubbly and cheerful tone, which was a mere display in public. Underneath that image was the face of a devil, ready to harvest men whom she favored.

“I think I heard my boss calling me.” In a fast pace, Cu walked in reversal. He went into the kitchen without notifying anyone inside and quickly closed the door behind him. Emiya looked at him with annoyed confusion, but Cat only

“Oh shit, hide me!”

Emiya spoke in an abrupt manner, “Can you not interrupt me when I’m cooking?”

“It’s not like I wanted to, actually-” The door was opened once again and Karna stretch his head to peek inside. His blue eyes scanned through the entire kitchen and settled on Cu.

“Cu, there was a girl called Medb who was asking for you. Is she your girlfriend?”

Crap! Karna was the only person in his social circle who did not know about his dark past.

“She’s my ex.”

“Do you want to go out and meet her?” Karna asked. “She seemed to be very eager to see you.”

“I rather not. Tell her that I have a headache.”

“Shouldn’t you be going to the staff room instead of being around in the kitchen?”

“That girl can pick locks with her bobby pins,” Cu explained, reminiscing the days Medb unlock his old apartment room to sneak into his bed. “Also, this place reek of cheese. I can stay here as long as she’s around.”

Emiya sighed, “I don’t understand why you date her in the first place. Everybody knows this woman plays around.”

“It was one of the dumb shits I did when I was at that stage, ya know.”

“And you can’t just linger around here and get in my way.”

“Cat won’t mind, right?” The Irish pleaded to his boss, expecting her to understand his circumstances.

“Mehehe! I won’t mind more people helping in kitchen. But it seems like we need people outside.”

Oh great. Very helpful indeed.

“I don’t get it.” Karna said. “Why would you avoid her? Aren’t you already broken up with her?”

“Yeah. I just don’t feel like seeing her.”

The Indian entered the kitchen and stood beside Cu. His piercing blue eyes shot through Cu’s red ones, trying to read through his emotions.

“I don’t feel like it was my place to judge you, and I have no idea what happened between you and Medb. What I know what you should not avoid your past, whether if it’s good or bad. You need to confront it! It should not be your eternal nightmare. It should be a lesson and you should be brave to accept it.”

For someone who was very likely to be younger than him, could speak of words of wisdom he had never heard before. Cu had spent years in the dark, and he finally ditched the edgy persona. For a few times he thought about what if his dark past comes back to haunt him, and he was not sure how to deal with it. Well, nobody told him how to deal with those shit before. His solutions were either run away from it, or simply ignore it. This fella, whom he just met for a couple of days, could see through his insecurities and dilemmas. This could be the best time to say ‘fuck off’ to his past.

“You’re right! If I can’t go out from this place and face my worst enemy, what kind of a man I am? I’m going show that thot I’m the Hound of Chulainn, not the Chicken of Chulainn.”

“That’s the spirit.” Emiya smirked. “Now get the hell out of the kitchen.”

In confidence, Cu took a deep breath and walked out of the kitchen. His eyes were lit with flickering flames, as if the hound was ready to fight its opponent. Tamamo, who was near the counter, spotted him and went over to grab his arm.

“There you are! This girl won’t quit demand you to be her waiter!” Tamamo complaint as she dragged him to Medb’s table. “Now service with a smile.” Then, she patted his cheeks twice before she left him alone.

Medb was smiling at Cu. When they were dating, he studied the types of smiles Medb could manifest, like the sinister, the lewd, or the silly. This one was a big satisfied smile, with her round eyes lit up with stars and sparkles. She used to do this all the time at Cu in the bedroom, which was pretty much annoying. 

“What can I do for you?” He was trying to keep his word straight. However, the low-V cut shirt that revealed the girl’s cleavage was extremely distracting. _Hold on, didn’t Medb have a sweater on when she came in?_ She definitely took it off when she found out he was on shift.

“I want the strawberry milkshake…Oh wait! No! What I am even thinking? I should get the strawberry smoothie.” 

“Anything else?”

“Yes. I feel like…We should get back together.”

“Come again?”

Medb’s right hand supported her head, with her eyes looking at him with her most lustful gaze. “Among the lovers I had, you are the best. That’s why I’ve made my decision to study in Chaldea University instead of the Uni in my hometown. So, I could get close to you.”

“What if I say no?”

Medb chuckled. “How can you even resist me? Don’t you like pretty, irresistible, sexy women, who know who to satisfy men’s need?” Her left hand began to wander on his abs up and down in a very slow motion. She had totally forgotten that this was a family-oriented diner, where there were children around. Cu instantly stopped her by grabbing her wrists.

“Woah, lady! You get a lot of things wrong about me. First of all, I don’t like thots. Number 2, I don’t date cheaters. Number 3, I don’t date exes. Number 4, you may be good-looking, but here-” Cu jabbed at his chest where his heart was. “Is selfish and despicable.”

“But Cu-cu,” she pleaded. “Remember the days we were in bed, feeling each other’s hot body. You and me, moaning together. With you jamming into me, aaahhhh! That really turned me on!”

“That was the past. I never like hoes who go around and have sex with different men. Jeez, I don’t even know if I am even if I’m your boyfriend or a sex partner.”

“You’ll see,” Medb stood up so she could lean over to give her ex-boyfriend a kiss. Obviously, Cu did not like the kiss, so he forcefully torn them apart. The moment he was finally free from the girl, he accidentally knocked on Diarmuid, who was just happened to stand behind him with the banana split. The dessert accidentally spilled on Artoria’s shirt, spoiling it with pink and chocolate stain. Everyone looked at the awful scene in gasps and horror.

“I’m so sorry, Artoria,” Diarmuid quickly took out his packet of wet tissues from his jeans pocket. “Here, take my wipes.”

“No, no. It’s alright,” The girl slowly wiped her shirt with her blue handkerchief. “Would you excuse me for a moment? I need to go to the washroom.”

She left the table and headed to the female lavatory. The dark-haired Irish could not stop apologizing to Arthur about his sister but the blond boy said he did not mind at all. Karna brought a broom and a mop, which he instantly cleaned up the clutter on the floor. Of course, the Pendragon got their new dessert as a compensation, which was put on Cu’s tab.

After all the fiasco, the tired Irish asked Tamamo if she could be in charge of Medb instead. He straightaway went to the staff room to take a short break. Letting go of his long ponytail that had been tying his long blue hair together, Cu stood in front of his locker, feeling dejected. He reached for his bag to search for a chewing gum, or a pack of Tic Tac, something that could calm him down. Instead, he found a pack of cigarette. Cu was not sure how this thing happened to be inside his bag. He might miss out this one when he determined to discard his smoking habit during April by burning all of his cigarette packs into the bin with his flat mates. Hesitating for a while, Cu drew a stick and lit it up with a lighter from the cabinet. There were days he missed puff a smoke, letting himself drown within the tobacco smell.

“What did I tell you about smoking?”

Emiya was standing at the door with his arms crossed together, his hawk-like eyes gazed at Cu. Discontented, the Irish got rid of the cigarette.

“Why are you here?”

The tan guy let out a chuckle, “I wanted to say I’m here to laugh at your demise. But actually, Cat sent me to check on you.”

The last part was a lie. Cat was too focus in cooking to know about the drama outside the kitchen. Emiya always searched for the best moment to jeer at him, ever since they met.

“You know what, laugh at me as much as you want. I fuck up everything. Thought I could escape from Medb, turned out that I can’t. I even fucked up D’s chance to be with his gal.”

“Yeah, life sucks. Even I have my own problems to deal with because of my past.” Emiya placed his hand on Cu’s shoulder. “If you already decided to change, there would be a chance for you to live a better life.”

“Guess you’re right. Today was plain shitty.”

“You still have Ozy’s party to attend, right?”

“Are you going?”

“No.”

Cu chuckled. “Ha, ha. Expect much from you.”

“I should go now.”

“Same.”

The both of them resume to work together, until their shift ended at 9.30 p.m.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeww...another chapter! It's quite long compared to the previous chapters.  
What's going to happen in the next chapter was already hinted within the end of this chapter.


	5. Extra: My cousin doing my makeup (Pharaoh of the Sun)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozymandias' latest YouTube video (Pharaoh of the Sun) ft. Cleopatra (Cleo Beauty 7).

[The video starts with Ozymandias and Cleopatra in Ozy’s gold and black themed room, facing the camera while sitting on the bed. Ozy is wearing his black button up shirt while Cleo has her white T-shirt on.]

Ozy: Hello my loyal subjects, my name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Welcome to my channel and I am here with my equally dashing cousin, Cleopatra.

Cleo: I am Cleopatra, I’m with this cousin of mine who happened to ask me to do his makeup for his party later.

Ozy: Ha,ha, hahahaha! I still haven’t told my subjects on what we are about to do.

Cleo: You know what. Let’s get this over with ASAP. I still haven’t chosen my outfit for the party.

Ozy: I see. As you can see, I already applied my foundation and concealer on my face. All Cleopatra has to do is helping my eyeshadow. She has a talent for fantastic eyeshadow. Check out her YouTube channel Cleo Beauty 7 for more of her tutorials.

Cleo: Then why you can’t follow any of my tutorials?

Ozy: Why would I do that if you’re already available in my house?

Cleo: Fine. So, which one you’re going for? Smokey? Glitter? Extreme?

Ozy: My girlfriend doesn’t like glitter. Remember during summer I tried putting blue glittered eyeshadow and attend Nefertari’s family gathering. She laughed at me all night.

Cleo: It’s because you don’t know how to master it.

Ozy: I think I should go safe here. Smokey will do.

Cleo: That would be easy. I might just put a little glitter on you, would that be okay?

Ozy: I’m fine with everything.

[Cleopatra takes out her makeup tool kit and searches for her eyeshadow palette. Next, she shows it to the screen.]

Cleo: The product I’m going to use is the Nyx Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette with the smokey colors. First, I’m applying this light beige as the base color for the eyeshadow. Then I am using dark brown for the crease.

[Cleo applies the beige eyeshadow on Ozy’ eyes, then she moves on to the brown eyeshadow. For the entire time, Ozy has his eyes shut, allowing Cleo to perform her skills.]

Cleo: Did your girlfriend choose this outfit?

Ozy: Yeah.

Cleo: Make sense. I think you should remove all of your buttons, instead of stopping midway.

Ozy: Sounds great.

Cleo: You should be grateful that you have so many fashion experts in the family.

Ozy: Hahahahaha!

Cleo: Then, I’m going to blend a bit of purple into this.

[She gently applies the purple eyeshadow at the wings of the eyes, then slowly blending in.]

Cleo: Next, this glittery greyish-blue is going to fill the insides. Later on, I’ll use the black pigment and put it on the outer crease.

[She begins to fill the remaining of Ozy’s naked eyelid. It slowly shows the sparkling effects of the eyeshadow as Cleo carefully applies it with her brush.]

Cleo: Open your eyes and take a look.

[Ozy looks into the compact mirror in his hands.]

Ozy: Not bad.

Cleo: There’s still a few more things.

Ozy: Yeah, I almost forgot about that. Just continue with your work.

[The video fast-forwarded with Cleo basically adding eyeliner, highlights and mascara on Ozy’s eyes.]

Cleo: I’m done with the eye makeup. Can you do the rest? I think the party has started.

Ozy: What time is it now?

Cleo: It’s 6.45 p.m.

Ozy: In that case, I should ask Nitocris to welcome the guests first. You can go now. I appreciate your help.

Cleo: Oh, don’t forget to subscribe both of our channels and make sure to follow our social medias as well. As usual, links are in the description box.

[Cleo then leaves the room. Leaving Ozy to face the camera alone.]

Ozy: That would be it for now, my loyal subjects. Do not forget to give this video a Like. I’ll be back, with more awesome content! 

[The camera is cut off with Ozy’s pride smile.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am pretty busy from the new sem and Chapter 5 is still in progress. So here is a short shot I wrote at 1 a.m. I hope I can finish the next chapter ASAP. Take this as a prelude to the next chapter.


	6. Party in Ozy's House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Backspear Boys and their friends went to a party hosted by Ozymandias, the King of Kings (a.k.a the King of Flirt).

Karna had seen people parties on TV, the Western films which they showed chick flicks. He never imagined himself to be a part of those so-called ‘parties’ with teenagers being crazy and all that jazz.

Why Ozy’s party means so much to them? Karna did ask a few people, but they somehow gave him a variety of answers, some of them were unrelated to his questions.

_Ozymandias has the best parties; you need to go at least one of his parties in your lifetime._

_He’s rich, although second to Gilgamesh._

_They’ve the same size of ego, but Ozy’s slightly more generous than that douche._

_He’s a YouTuber. _

_Ozymandias only allow visitors to his place during public events. Otherwise, its being private for him and his family. _

_Ozy has lots of great food. Like 5-star restaurant quality._

_I heard he just installed a mini theatre. _

_One time he celebrated his girlfriend’s birthday in his private cruise. It was fucking amazing!_

After days of considerations, he decided to hop into Kojiro’s van, which was heading to the other side of the town. He had to cramp together with his three flatmates, and two of their friends. All of them were wearing their semi-formal outfits which matched the black and white theme. Karna had to borrow a dress shirt from Fionn but it looked baggy on his thin frame. They were playing some 90s band music that Karna had never heard before but he bopped his head along to the rhythm.

Ozy’s mansion was probably the largest house Karna had ever seen in his life, enough to fit 2 football fields. Kojiro drove his van into the parking lot after getting an approval from the house guard. Together, they walked to the front door. There was loud modern music blasting from the inside and the chattering noises of the party guests. Cu pressed the doorbell twice, and a purple haired girl in white shirt popped out from the door.

“Nito!” Cu called out the girl’s name, then gave her a high-five.

“Hey, come in!” She opened the door wider for them to enter the premise. There were already quite a number of people eating and drinking inside the broad Egyptian-themed living room. They were wearing in black and white, befitting to the party theme.

“Please help yourself with the food.” Nitocris pointed to the dining room, where the guests went in and out. “Don’t be shy with amount.”

All of them quickly joined in the line after Nitocris left them to entertain some newcomers. Karna let his friends queued in front of him, as most of them felt hungry. He already had crackers and hot cocoa to fill his stomach before he left for the party. He saw the table was full with exquisite food that he had never tasted before, the ones that he saw on TV and in books, like that plate of colorful macaroons, a watermelon shell filled with jelly, Chinese fried rice, seafood aglio olio, spinach lasagna, honeyed roasted chicken and a big bowl of orange liquid with fruits floating on top.

Karna felt someone tapping his shoulder from behind. He turned to meet with Elizabeth Bathory, the girl whom he met during Orientation. She was wearing a knee-length black dress with shiny ruby earrings.

“Remember me?”

“You are Elizabeth?”

“It’s Liz, by the way. Good to see that you are here.”

“I am actually curious about parties. It would be better to come here and experience it in person.”

“Cool! Are you here by yourself?”

“I’m here with my flatmates.” Karna referred to the three Irishmen who had began to fill their paper plates with chickens and pasta. Liz saw them with her eyes widen.

“Ahhh! The Fiannas. They’ve been performing around town for two years straight. Their music is quite decent, actually. I’m a singer myself so I know my stuff.”

Karna had seen Fionn and Diarmuid’s live performance this afternoon during Club and Society showcase. They were playing acoustic cover of a certain band which he had never heard of it. He was not into music, but he knew that they were doing their best.

“That Fionn guy is kinda good-looking,” Liz added. “But I heard that he still hasn’t get a girlfriend because he gets jealous very easily, and very demanding.”

Karna was not sure if Liz was being rude or just frank. Fionn could be very directive about household matters, like who was doing the laundry for the week or who would make breakfast. It was also his strength as well, for the blonde hair guy wanted everyone to have an active role in doing the housework.

“And that drummer Diarmuid, he’s like every girl’s dream guy. He’s extremely nice and so gentleman to every girl he interacts with. I still don’t get it why he rejects all the love confessions he received.”

Liz then leaned closer to Karna’s ear, and whispered: “I think he might be gay.”

“Ah, okay…”

They already reached the table, which it was the Indian’s turn to get his food. His flat mates had done taking theirs, which they told him to meet them outside after he had done with his. Liz kept staring at Cu, her eyes were following him until he had left to the living room. Afterwards, the Hungarian whispered again to Karna.

“You know, since you’re living with Cu Chulainn. Lemme just give you a heads up. He’s very…how should I put this…notoriously famous…yeah. He used to be like…a bad person. I’m not sure he told you about this. I’m telling you so…you can be very much alert about him.”

“I actually knew,” Karna calmly responded to Liz as he scooped a spoonful of fried rice and gently placed it on the plate.

“You do?”

“I figured it out myself.”

“I see.” The pink-haired girl muttered. “If he hurts you or something, you can always move out and stay at my place.”

“Thank you,” the white-haired boy smiled at her. “I think I’ll be fine.”

He carefully carried the plate and his orange-colored drink and walked to meet up with his friends. They were half-way done with their food and were talking loudly at the same time. Silently, Karna joined them and munching on his food, while listened to the topics they were talking without any interruptions. Sometimes he looked around the room to observe different groups of people, who were indulging in their own talks as well. Conversation was another weakness of his. It was usually the other people who took the initiative instead of him. He was not sure how to get into a group discussion as well. So it was better for him to be the listener until someone else managed to ask him to join.

‘Cling! Cling! Cling!’

Nitocris tapped a wine glass with a teaspoon, which caught most of the guests’ attention and they began to silence themselves. The girl raised her voice so the entire household could listen clearly.

“Here comes Ozymandias, King of Kings.”

The master of the house, Ozymandias walked down the stairs at the side of the living room with a gentle looking girl in a light-weighted gorgeous white gown, wrapping her arms around his. He had a black unbuttoned dress shirt which reveal his tanned chest and there was smokey eyeshadow and eyeliner applied around his eyes. Despite that, it enhanced more of his masculinity. Everyone applauded for the couple as they walked towards the center of the room.

“Thank you,” Ozy’s voice boomed, making the guests to stop their clapping. “For coming to my humble residence. Today I am here to celebrate my last year of being a high school student, and my last year of my teenage years. A toast!” He received a glass of wine from a boy with shorter stature. “To everyone!”

“A toast!” The guests all raised their cups and drank. Karna wondered if Ozymandias was a bit early to drink alcohol.

“Help yourselves with the refreshments! You all should try my girlfriend, Nefertari’s citrus punch and seafood aglio olio! Those were a few of her signature dishes.”

“Oh, Ramesses.” Nefertari blushed. “Stop boasting about me. My cooking skills are just mediocre.”

“Oh my love, you re always the best in my heart,” He left a peck on his girlfriend’s right cheek, making the girl blushed even harder. Some of the boys wolf-whistled to the loving scene.

“My eyes!” Cu averted himself away from the couple.

“Young love,” Fionn sighed. “Something that I could not experience.”

“Single peeps like us won’t understand.” Kojiro said melancholically.

“You guys,” Musashi tried to cheer them by patting on their back. “There would be a day when the three of you have girlfriends and being lovey-dovey in front of us.”

“Like how you did when you and Okkie started dating?” Cu talked back.

Musashi’s face went slightly red. “Ha,ha. I guess so.”

Karna found that he had finished his food and trying to get some desserts, which Fionn and Diarmuid tagged along as they wanted to have another round. The three of them were walking towards the dining room until Ozymandias stopped them.

“You, newbie,” The Egyptian asked while examining Karna. “What is your name?”

“Karna.”

“I have not seen you around before, you must be a new student.”

“Yes. I just transferred recently.”

“I see you have the spirit of a king,” Ozy declared. “The flames in your eyes, they were strong. Tell me, are you an heir of a multi-corporate CEO? Or the son born from a wealthy linage?”

“Neither,” Karna said. “I’m just a child from a poor village, whom father is a taxi driver and my mother owned a small bakery.”

“But you don’t look like one.” Ozy stated. “Your well-mannerism did not match your family background.”

“I would rather to live a simple life than being a child of the higher society.”

“Hahahahahaha!” Ozymandias laughed. “Interesting! Very interesting! It is my pleasure to meet you, Karna. I hope we could interact more in the future.”

The Egyptian shook Karna’s hand vigorously, then he looked at his arms. “You need to eat more. Go and have another round.” Ozymandias gave his name card to the younger boy before he left to mingle with other guests.

“That’s Ozy. If he likes you, he’ll give you praises.” Fionn said. “One time, he asked me if I was a king in my previous life. And he thought D was a chivalrous knight.”

“I don’t recall him saying that.” Diarmuid rebutted.

“He did.”

“He did not.”

“Yeah he did.”

“Did not.”

“Excuse me gentlemen, would you mind stepping aside if you’re not in the line?”

The short stature girl who Karna recognized as Artoria Pendragon was calling out to them, along with several people behind her. The boys quickly formed a straight line with Fionn at the front.

“Pendragon, it’s great to see you here.” Diarmuid, who was standing in front of Artoria, greeted her.

“Are you having fun?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“I love that turtleneck.”

“Thanks. It’s the best I have for tonight.”

Karna did not pay attention to the rest of their conversation. They had the fried rice and pasta refilled, and more cakes were served. Beside the citrus punch there was a new drink Karna had never seen before, he saw Fionn took a cup full. Similar to the blonde, Karna filled his plastic cup with the purplish drink.

“What is this?” Diarmuid asked, referring to the drink on the Indian’s hand.

“I have no idea. I saw Fionn took a cup, it might be something good.”

“Lemme try this as well.”

The both of them also took some cakes and macarons before leaving the dining table. Once they returned to the group, Karna took a few bites on the desserts. He liked them. Then these cakes reminded him of the cupcakes, the doughnuts and the Barfi his Ma sold in her bakery. He missed the days when he helped her making those pastries and desserts, and distributed them to his neighbors of the village if there were leftovers. Karna found his throat dry, so he put down his plate on a nearby stool and ready to gulp his drink.

“Oh no, you shouldn’t be drinking that!” Fionn took away the cup from the Indian’s hand, and put it away. “It’s alcoholic.”

“Really?”

The blonde explained. “I just took a sip on mine.”

“I should go warn Diarmuid then.”

“Ahhh, ahh.” Fionn halted him with his arm around Karna’s neck. “Don’t do that.”

The younger boy looked confused. “Why? He’s our friend.”

Fionn smirked, in a very mischievous way. “I want to see him drunk.”

Karna had a very bad feeling about that.

***

“Do you want another one?”

The high-pitched cheer pierced through the air, echoed around the living room.

“I said, do you want another one?”

The girls shrieked sharply to the point that Karna had to cover his ears to block the sound. He was sitting near the stairs, away from the mahogany table where a drunk Diarmuid had taken as his personal concert stage. Most of the guests surrounded him in a full circle, waving their hands in the air with excitement. Ozymandias could not stop laughing, while filming the entire scene with his vidcam.

“This is literally the first time I see D singing solo, in public.” Kojiro sat together with him, as well as Cu and Fionn. The four of them were sipping on Coca-Cola which they obtained from Ozy’s half-brother Moses.

“Artoria Pendragon!” Diarmuid called out. “Sing with me, a love duet.”

The blonde girl shook her head in refusal. She was sitting on one of the cushions, silently watching his drunk performance. Her brother was standing beside her, smiling awkwardly, while a few guys were teasing her non-stop.

“You know what guys,” Musashi stood up to the table. “I volunteer to sing, as a challenger”

“Oh ho! You’re approaching me!” The Irish guy went to an offensive position, as they were about to have a showdown. “Very well! I accept your proposal, my drummer apprentice. Cleo could you play some 1D songs?”

A girl whom she introduced herself as Ozymandias’ cousin, Cleopatra rolled her eyes and swipe through her iPod to choose the requested song. The boombox began to play a familiar tune, which Karna had heard in supermarkets.

Diarmuid went out first. “_I've tried playing it cool__. But when I'm looking at you. I can't ever be brave. 'Cause you make my heart race.”_ He pointed at Artoria at the same time singing out the lyrics.

Musashi quickly joined in. “_Shot me out of the sky__. You're my kryptonite. You keep making me weak. Yeah, frozen and can't breathe.”_

Some of the audience jammed together in sync, while clapping their hands to the rhythm; some of them were swooning over either the Irish guy or the Japanese girl. Both of the performers were having a good time to the point they started to do some awkward dance moves and they almost tripped when they tried to tango.

Out of everyone’s expectations, Diarmuid hugged Musashi and gave her a sloppy kiss on her cheek once the song had finished. These made the girls even more lunatic as ever.

“Kiss me!”

“No! He should kiss me instead!”

“Musashi I love you!”

“Marry me! Be my husband!”

“Fuck me, the both of you!”

His friends were obviously looked uncomfortable with this gesture. Cu, who was on Karna’s left side, had his eyebrows pinched together and tried to look away from the scene. The word that could perfectly describe his blue-haired friend’s expression was cringe, a word that he just recently learned.

“This is going too far,” There was a slight hint of jealousy in Fionn’s tone, as he was looking at the frenzy the girls went for his bandmate. 

“Should we leave?” Kojiro asked. The responses were either ‘Yeah’ or ‘Definitely’. Cu went over to the crowd to drag Diarmuid and Musashi from the table, very much to most girls’ disappointment.

“Next time girls,” Cu coaxed them to stay away. “Next time, when he’s drunk again.”

“Can I take away some food?” Musashi begged as she saw her friends were leaving.

“We’ll drop by at McD’s drive-thru later.” The Japanese said as he opened the door for them. “Thank you for the invitation, Ozy!”

Karna had a hard time carrying his drunk flatmate with Cu, Diarmuid could not stop singing random songs and wriggling along the way. After a long hour, they managed to reach home and helped Diarmuid changed into some comfortable clothing before dumping him on his bed.

Maybe Karna might attend another party, that does not involve any alcohol or drunk people.

*** 

The next morning at 10.30 a.m., Diarmuid only came out from his room when everyone had finished their breakfast. He was still wearing the blue shirt and black shorts they had put on him, his hair was in a complete mess and his eyes were puffy and watery from yawning. He was staring at his flatmates, with a large question mark stuck on his face.

“Can somebody just tell me, what exactly happened last night?”

Cu was the first one to answer, “We were at Ozy’s party, and you got drunk.”

“Did I do something stupid?”

“Well-” Cu stopped himself, afraid that he might say the wrong words.

“Guys, I’m serious. I woke up to find out hundreds of people tagging me in their Instagram, Twitters, and even Facebook. I don’t want to go back to school next Monday to face criticisms. Just tell me what’s going on. At least let me get emotionally and psychologically prepared if I did a strip dance in front hundreds of people whom I may or may not know.”

“Just go and check your soc medias. I can guarantee there’s nothing really bad happened.”

Diarmuid did as he was told. Moments later, he came out looking in total bewildered and disbelief.

“I just had,” Diarmuid whispered in shock. “a mini concert in Ozy’s house?”

The three of them nodded their head.

“And asked Artoria to have a sing off with me?”

They nodded again.

“I even sang to 1D? And having a PDA session with Musashi?”

They nodded to that as well.

“At least you did not go on a full make-out session with her. It would be even awkward and we don’t think Okkie would approve this.” Fionn said. “But, look at the bright side! There was a high chance you’re going to be featured in Ozy’s next YouTube vid.”

“Holy fuck D,” Cu exclaimed “You’re going to be famous!”

Diarmuid facepalmed himself, burying his face in his palms. In a composed manner, he told them: “I’m going back to my room, clear my head. Just text me if you need me.” He slowly retreated back into his room, concealing himself from the rest of the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I initially wanted to make this into a sitcom style, then I settle for the simple one-shots. I will update the next chapter when another idea decides to knock on the door.


End file.
